Agility Training Classes

Agility is one of the fastest growing dog sports in the United States. A team of dog and handler competes in accurately negotiating its way through a timed obstacle course. Handlers of any age with dogs of any breed and/or size can learn to compete in this amazing team sport. Think Pawsitive will start with teaching you and your dog the foundations required for safe and healthy competition. These include conditioning exercises for your dog’s body and a multitude of interactive games, skills and techniques to improve your dog’s focus, concentration and connection with you. The foundations of specific obstacle performances are presented in a positive and gradual manner that will have you and your dog happily and confidently approaching any challenges presented. As with all our training, we use operant and classical conditioning to create thoughtful dogs that strive to achieve the desired behaviors. Our progressive curriculum advances these foundation skills, takes you through the building blocks and theory of handling techniques, and ultimately provides you and your dog with the opportunity to integrate and develop all that you have learned into to becoming a competitive agility team.

COST: $150 (includes six training segments and lunch)Early Bird Registration: Register by September 1st, 2017 and pay only $110

PREREQUISITE: Dogs must be at least 11 months old and must have passed a basic manners class that was structured with positive reinforcement and is choice-based with the use of food rewards. Our program uses high rates of reinforcement to achieve success and to build a strong relationship with your dog.

This workshop will offer beginning handlers and students new to Think Pawsitive an introduction to our training methodology and an opportunity to try out the following canine activities and sports:
* Agility * Intro to Swimming & Dock Diving * Play, Tricks, & Retrieving * Nose Work Games * Relationship Building Games * Canine Frisbee Games
Basic Obedience * Leash Walking & Real Life Manners * Rally Obedience
This is an excellent chance to try out a variety of activities with your dog in one exciting workshop! Successful completion of the sessions will allow students to “Fast Track” into our canine sports programs (Agility, Nose Work, Rally Obedience).

There is no online registration for this workshop. Please click on the link below for the registration form. Print and fill out the form and either bring in or mail the form along with your payment to:
Think Pawsitive Dog Training LLC
2485 S. Commerce Drive
New Berlin, WI 53151

Click here for details and registration form!

Get your puppy started in this fun activity while introducing foundation agility skills and a variety of confidence building challenges! We will build on toy drive, balance, coordination, proprioception, motion, and agility noises. We will continue to proof and reinforce basic skills including sit, recalls, and impulse control while introducing your puppy to these new foundation agility skills.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Think Pawsitive’s Beginner Puppy School, Adult Manners or Canine IQ Camp.
For puppies 16 weeks to 9 months old at the time the class starts.

This class will build your dog’s confidence and enthusiasm for agility. We will teach a variety of interactive games, proper reward placement and the mechanics of handling your dog, and transfer loads of value for getting on, over or through various agility obstacles.

You will learn: A variety of new skills while building on those learned previously, advanced crate games, core strengthening and rear-end awareness exercises, how to build more focus for obstacles, and an introduction to contact end-behavior foundations.
Deposits must be made at the time of registration in order to hold a spot in the class. If you need to cancel your registration, the deposit is not refundable unless we can fill your spot. All remaining class fees are due by the start of the first class and are non-refundable once the class begins.PLEASE NOTE: The use of crates and crate games are a significant part of our curriculum. Both treat and toy rewards are used extensively to reinforce dogs for desired behaviors.

This class builds on and extends the proficiencies and exercises learned in Agility Foundations I. Successful completion of this course prepares you for the special skills classes (Contacts, Weave Poles and Jump Grids) that follow it in the curriculum. NOTE: This class will be repeated until your dog successfully performs all skills introduced in Agility Foundations I and II.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations I. Suitable for dogs of all ages.

You will work progressively through various foundation jump grids inspired by Susan Salo. This class will work on your dog’s strong understanding, desire, and mechanics of jumping. You will perform Set Point, Bounce, and Slice grids.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations II or instructor approval.

You will continue to work progressively through additional jump grids inspired by Susan Salo. You will increase your dog’s confidence on the previous girds and introduce One-stride and Bending grids. If your dog is performing the foundation grids with stability and speed, we may incrementally interject some handler movement into your exercises.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Intro to Jump Grids or instructor approval.

This class is an extension of the grid work done in Jump Grids II. You will continue previous work with Set Point, Bounce, One-Stride, Progressive, and Bending grids and you will be exposed to various new grids. If your dog is performing the foundation grids with stability and speed, we will incrementally interject some handler movement into your exercises.

Key ideas and components of the 2×2 Weave Pole training method will be presented. We will discuss how to plan, set up and progress your training sessions, the “allowing your dog to fail” learning process, and we will practice the mechanics of reward placement and properly sending your dog.This lecture must be completed before attending Getting Started With Weave Poles.

COST: $90.00 (Additional fee for rental of 2 sets of 2×2 weave poles for each 4-week session is $15.)

This class is for students that are just starting their weave pole training and will progress to the performance of 4 poles straight-up. You will learn: The mechanics of training weaves with 2 x 2’s, the difference between shaping and luring, how to help your dog understand difficult weave pole entries and to maintain his/her drive and focus through the entire set of poles. Successful completion of this course has your dog successfully performing 4 poles straight-up from a variety of angles and distances. NOTE: This course will be repeated as many times as it takes for successful completion and readiness for Weave Poles: Up the Ante.

PREREQUISITE: Dogs 11 months of age or older and completion of Weave Pole Lecture.

COST: $90.00 (Additional fee for rental of bases/poles for each 4-week session of this course is $15.00)

This class is for students whose performance is 4 poles straight-up and are working on progressing toward full 12-pole performance. It is a problem-solving class that will focus on entries, placement of rewards, maintaining consistent weave pole performance, adding additional sets from 4 poles straight-up to 6 and 12 pole sets. Depending on the skills of your dog, we may also add obstacles before and after the weave poles.

PREREQUISITE: Dog/handler teams must have completed the Getting Started with Weave Poles class at Think Pawsitive.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Agility Foundations II at Think Pawsitive or instructor approval.

In this class, you will learn techniques and skills for successful contact performance. Consistent execution will be sought by using teeter games, building your understanding of contact end-behavior criteria, building your dog’s confidence and drive over contacts, and back-chaining to full height contacts.
Click to Register for Intro to Contacts

In this class, you will advance your contact skills. New teeter games will be introduced, lateral and forward handler movement will be added, you will continue back-chaining to full height contacts and increasing your dog’s confidence and drive over contacts.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Intro to Contacts at Think Pawsitive or instructor approval.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed Advancing Contacts at Think Pawsitive or instructor approval.

This course will extend the skills you learned in Advancing Contact. You will work through proofing your dog’s contact end-behavior with distractions, distance, movement and speed.
Click to Register for Proofing Contacts

This class will cover flat work exercises that will relate to the following: acceleration and deceleration, building your dog’s understanding of handler and obstacle focus, and exercises that will develop your ability to effectively direct your dog through various turns and side changes.

You will expand your comprehension and performance of exercises learned in the Flat Work Exercises and Jump Skills classes by extending them into small 2- to 4-obstacle jump sequences. You will improve your team’s synchronicity, mechanics and understanding and learn to recognize where these skills will benefit you in future classes.

You will learn how to connect all of the “DOTS” (prerequisite classes listed above) to help you and your dog maintain obstacle criteria, lateral distance, desire and accuracy. You will work on small sequences that will link all of the skills you have learned thus far. You will improve your team’s relationship, understanding, confidence, speed and overall agility performance. On successful completion of this course, you will be ready for Putting It All Together where you will learn and practice the details of the Derrett Handling System.

This class will cover exercises that will relate to the following: acceleration /deceleration, front crosses, building a strong understanding of flat-work exercises, and developing your skills/mechanics on jumps and tunnels to improve your dog’s responses to your position and motion cues.

PREREQUISITE: : Must have completed Connect the Dots or instructor approval.

In this class, you will learn the skills and fine-tune the proper mechanics for executing rear crosses and serpentines proficiently on small sequences. You will be able to recognize when using a serpentine is appropriate and/or beneficial to your performance.

PREREQUISITE: : Must have completed Connect the Dots or instructor approval.

You will learn the proper mechanics, positions and reward protocols for teaching your dog a solid understanding of the performance of 270’s, Threadles, and Lead-out Pivots. Once practiced and comprehended, we will apply these techniques on a variety of obstacle sequences and situations.

PREREQUISITE: : Must have completed Connect the Dots or instructor approval.

Now that you know all the obstacles and handling positional cues, we will prepare you to take your skills to the next level and compete at agility trials. This class is designed to help you understand when and where to apply specific handling cues. Sequences consisting of 8 – 12 obstacles will be analyzed and performed with your dog. Your instructor will help you develop a better understanding of applying these skills in competition.

PREREQUISITE: Must have completed all Putting It All Together classes OR must get an evaluation and approval from a Think Pawsitive instructor.